Diversified Teaching Methods in Nursing:Using Animal Experimentation to Promote Core Professional Competencies in Basic Nursing Training

Objective： The aim of this project was to train highly professional and specialized nursing students from medical colleges to adapt to bedside clinical care by exploring and discussing various methods of injection and IV infusion in animal experimentation to hone the core professional nursing competencies. Methods： Two classes from the 2012 senior graduating nursing class were randomly selected by a computer to conduct the diversified practical teaching methods based on animal experimentation. A hospital environment was simulated by requiring students to perform different types of injections and practical IV infusion techniques. A comprehensive evaluation of the core professional competencies, as well as other integrated competencies, was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the teaching methods. Results： Two-sampled, pairwise u-tests were performed between the scores of the experimental （nursing class 2） and control （nursing class 1） groups. These findings showed that the overall test scores were significantly higher in the experimental group compared to the control group and that the average P-values for the competencies in various categories were 〈0.01, which indicated statistically significant results. Conclusions： Based on the data from this project, diversified teaching methods for basic nursing training founded on animal experimentation can help nursing students perfect their core professional competencies and improve their overall professional standing. The introduction of animal experimentation requires further verification, and an increased acknowledgement of its benefits through the widespread dissemination of this information.

Comparing Basic Social Competencies among Nursing Students before and during the Pandemic

Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the practical curriculum in over 80% of Japanese nursing universities is shorted. The study aimed to clarify the change in basic social competencies among nursing students by comparing their scores before and during the pandemic. Method: Retrospective data from 235 responses from 3rd-grade nursing students were analyzed. The data were separated into two groups—158 respondents before-pandemic and 77 respondents during-pandemic. Respondents were asked to complete a measurement scale two months after the beginning of the 3rd-grade module. Results: Our results showed the during-pandemic group’s averages were higher than the before-pandemic group’s. During the pandemic, nursing students using home-based online learning could not self-evaluate accurately because they could not practice in the field. Conclusion: Nursing students who were studying during the during-pandemic self-assessed themselves higher than those who were studying during the before-pandemic because they could not compare with the other students, and the results showed that misunderstandings may arise.

Literature Review of Nursing Education Promoting Professional Socialization among Nursing Students

The aim of this review was to clarify the elements that promote socialization of nursing professionals from the findings of previous studies, with keywords related to socialization among undergraduate nursing students, and obtain indicators for promoting professional socialization in nursing students in the current nursing education. The literature review was conducted using a qualitative analysis of the promotion of professional socialization among nursing students. The results were reported according to the reporting checklist of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. The authors conducted a literature search using electronic databases in July 2021, such as CINAHL (EBSCOhost), MEDLINE (EBSCOhost) for English articles, and Ichushi for Japanese articles. Included studies were from 1985 to 2021. Previous studies were integrated to current studies. A total of 23 articles in English and 34 articles in Japanese were analyzed. The methods for promoting professional socialization in nursing students include self-learning, online media, extracurricular elements, and clinical practice. Socialization process differed for each school year;the first-year students tend to have ideological answers, while the fourth-year students tend to have practical answers as a result of education. The process needs supports from instructors and mentors. Nursing education promoting professional socialization in nursing students has developed diverse modeling, positive effects for improving social skills, and impact of self-efficacy and self-esteem and has fostered professional commitment and professional identity. However, loss of idealism of professional identity after graduation should be considered with supports from instructors and mentors. To establish nursing professional identity smoothly, nursing instructors supporting skills should be developed by understanding students’ stage of professional socialization.